Life’s Short. Have a Ball!

Next time you head over to Jordan Bowl, make sure to bring your appetite. Every weekend, holiday, and school break, you’ll find Maine-ly Meatballs parked next to the Jordan Bowl Express Lift from 10AM to 4PM, open for business and ready to feed you. The fare? Absolutely delicious meatballs, of course.

Yup. You read that right. Jean Krull, owner of Maine-ly Meatballs, is hitting the slopes and bringing her warm, meaty, satisfying treats to the ski-boot-wearing masses. Score.

I caught up with Jean on a busy Saturday morning and brought my dad, Mike, and step-mom, Tina, along for emotional support (and also to get Tina’s expert culinary opinion on the slopeside delicacies). Don’t say I never do anything nice for you, guys.

Jean was probably the friendliest person I’ve ever met. In between serving up meatballs and cocktails (yup, cocktails… Bailey’s and coffee, anyone?) for salivating skiers and snowboarders, she told me how excited she was about her new business venture. Jean explained that the meatballs and side dishes are created in Maine-ly Meatballs’ commercial kitchen in Westbrook, ME (it’s also a catering company) and the kitchen in the Jordan Hotel. Meatballs are, by nature, highly transportable, so it’s not too much trouble to “sled them in” (exact words!) from the access road up to the food truck parked at the Jordan Bowl Express loading area.

Sledding meatballs. How exotic.

At this point in our conversation, I was sniffing the air around the food truck and panting a little. I asked for “the most popular thing on the menu” and ended up with a bowl of Classic Marinara meatballs, topped with herbed ricotta cheese. Drool.

I let my dad have the first bite. His face said it all. Tina dove in after that and pronounced them “delicious”—as a gourmet cook, she doesn’t use that word lightly. It would’ve taken a straightjacket to keep me out of those meatballs at that point.

I dug in. Warm, herby, hearty, aromatic, rich… the meatballs were exactly what my cold, tired, skiing body wanted. The sauce, the ricotta, the balls themselves… wow. Just… wow. I left Dad and Tina to enjoy the rest of Round 1 and ordered Round 2 immediately: a Cheeseburger Balls with Special Sauce and Pickles Sandwich. I know, right?!?

As my second meat treat was prepared, Jean casually dropped the world’s best tag line: “You get your food before your change here!” She was right: the food was hot and ready to go, so it was the right kind of fast food. I thanked Jean profusely, took one last longing look at the menu (in the summer, they offer lobster meatballs and Asian meatballs with Asian slaw… yum), and took my sandwich to go. People in the lift line eyed my foil-wrapped sandwich with envy.

Once I was safely summit-bound, I opened my treat and let loose. It was as good as I expected it to be. No, better. A few savory minutes later, we were at the top and I was stuffed. There was a strategically-placed trash receptacle at the top of the Jordan Bowl Express, so my lunch was convenient, efficient, and mess-free. And at an affordable $8 for a meatball sandwich, it was also an awesome deal.

There was really only one thing wrong with Maine-ly Meatballs—it was addictive. Beware: after just one bite, a lift ride will no longer seem complete without a few meatballs in hand.